Review: Fred again.. goes the extra mile for one special Kiwi at Auckland’s Spark Arena

Fred again.. performed at Auckland's Spark Arena on Tuesday night to a sold-out crowd. Photo / Getty Images

REVIEW:

If you had asked me last week what my plans were in the lead-up to Easter, I would’ve had nothing noteworthy to provide apart from handling life admin and perhaps a cheeky dinner out.

However, Tāmaki Makarau was booming on Tuesday night as UK artist Fred again.. pulled into the city after hosting surprise gigs across the North Island over the last week.

Fred again.. (Fred Gibson) is a versatile London-born DJ-producer who rose to fame in recent years with the release of his own music after producing for artists like Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora and Pink.

Speculation over whether he’d stop in Aotearoa followed him throughout his tour in Australia. Given that New Zealand and Australia were self-described as his “favourite places to perform,” many fans anticipated his arrival in New Zealand last Wednesday.

The star flew into Pōneke and almost immediately announced shows at Waitangi Park and Auckland’s Spark Arena.

He also held last-minute gigs at some of the North Island’s most off-the-beat venues in between his main shows, playing at Maranui Surf Club in Lyall Bay and Coroglen Tavern in the Coromandel.

I wasn’t keeping up with Fred again..’s rise to fame or the hype around it. TikTok can be a bit overwhelming, and my socially isolating Apple Music account kept me out of the loop for some time during Gibson’s album releases in the Covid years.

But the recent buzz over his arrival in New Zealand led me to Spark Arena to see what I had been missing, and I’m glad I did - I realised I’m behind on a lot.

Joy Anonymous - a dance music duo that sport a similarly dynamic style to Gibson - warmed up the crowd for about an hour with their beats as fans poured into the stadium.

People were eager to start the party when Fred again.. appeared, but the star chose to open on a piano, kindling the crowd’s energy as he began a slow performance of Kyle (I Found You) and Angie (I’ve Been Lost).

The arena’s screen displayed an opening message in both English and Māori.

“Ever since we came here for the first time last January, we’ve been planning how we want to come back,” Gibson wrote, nodding to his time in the country last year.

Fred again.. has been touring Australia and announced surprise shows for his fans in New Zealand last week. Photo / Getty Images

The DJ was meant to perform at Laneway Festival, which was forced to cancel in the wake of the Auckland floods, leaving his Auckland fans missing their chance to see him in person.

“[Because] you guys are the f****** best!”

Bleu (Better With Time) reverberated around the stadium as the rhythm picked up, with Fred again.. singing his heart out to the song on the keys.

The arena - a sea of Gen Zs, millennials, and a few mature fans - lit up as he performed hits like Danielle (Smile On My Face) and stayinit to a seething crowd, with the rolling bass and strobe lights turning Auckland’s prime waterfront venue into a lively electronic club.

At one point in the show, Fred again.. ran through the crowd to a stage in the middle of the arena, so fast that fans barely had time to register he had left the main one. With trusty decks already in place, Gibson carried on with his set while pulling a few lucky people onto the stage with him.

Wellington-based DJ Tessa Hills, known as MESSIE, was chosen by Fred again.. to perform at some of his shows after the artist took to Instagram to find Kiwi DJs who were willing to share their work with him.

Hills opened for Fred again.. at Coroglen Tavern on Monday night and will also perform at his final show in Australia, with Gibson covering the travel costs.

“He’s asked me to come and play at the last show on his tour, it’s going to be about 35,000 people,” Hills said to 1 News.

The 21-year-old artist joined Fred again.. on the stage with a group of friends as he chucked on Rumble - one of his hit records with Skrillex, Flowdan and Elley Duhé - before he asked the crowd to “make some noise” for an “amazing DJ called MESSIE.”

Fred again.. invited Tessa Hills, known as Messie, and her friends onto the stage during the concert.

Further through the night, the artist acknowledged that one of his songs, adore u, was written for his younger sister.

“This is a song that I made for my little sister Georgie, make some noise for Georgie,” he said.

Talking about his support from Kiwis over the years, he said: “I remember going on to my phone and going into the unknown bit of your DMs, and I remember seeing over and over again, ‘Come to New Zealand’, ‘Come to New Zealand’.”

“I remember just being like, ‘this is f****** mad’. We were all in lockdown and I was just looking at this phone and I just kept seeing it over and over again.”

“Thank you so much for always being the best.”

Gibson’s ability to surprise and engage his fans is one of the reasons why they love him so much. As he switched from a remix of Frank Ocean’s Chanel into last December’s new drop leavemealone, the enthusiasm in the building only grew.

Fred again.. rounded the show out with beloved songs like Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing) and Delilah (pull me out of this), drawing it to a close with one more emotional rendition of Angie (I’ve Been Lost).

Leaving the concert, you couldn’t help but notice everyone had smiles on their faces as they headed into the night.

Gibson excels at connecting with his fans. His personable approach makes it hard not to love him, and he makes a real effort to erase the boundaries between his celebrity status and being human, evident in the way he interacts with his supporters, gives back to them, and provides a platform for others like Hills to demonstrate their talent.

After all that, I’ll be patiently waiting for his next surprise tour across the motu.

Tom Rose is a digital producer and editorial assistant for the NZ Herald, who covers lifestyle, entertainment, and travel.